Love's Great Mystery - Midsomer Murders (Charlie NelsonxOC)
by FantasyandHistory
Summary: Detective Elizabeth 'Beth' Bushby worked out of London before moving to Midsomer County where she works alongside DCI Barnaby and DS Nelson solving murder cases. Barnaby wonders whether the Detective and Detective Sergeant will become too close... Which of course they do!
1. Introduction

Introduction

Welcome all! So, I recently started watching the seasons of this show featuring Gwilym and I love it, such a good show, very much recommend! :) As you can probably guess, I became inspired, and this story is the result! Also because I love Charlie, I think he's adorable, awkward, and a total sweetheart, and sadly, I have found only a few stories featuring him.

And thus this story was born! It will probably be various one-shot-like chapters taking place throughout the episodes, so spoilers ahead!

I do not own! I only own my characters and storylines! I hope you enjoy, thanks! :)


	2. The Meeting

The Meeting

Perhaps it was all too soon, to throw herself back into the job after what happened. But she was here now, there was no turning back. And, obviously, she was very much needed, for there had been a murder. Detective Bushby to the scene!

Everyone outside the manor was in their respective professional gear, warmer winter coats over top of that. One man, standing tall above the others, wore jeans and a jacket, casually but professionally dressed. She guessed this was her new partner, Detective Sergeant Charlie Nelson, also from London. At least they had something in common.

Nelson was already handling things, ordering officers to different areas of the crime scene.

"I've faced a variety of murders in my day, but never one involving ghosts," she said, announcing her presence.

Nelson turned and smiled her way. "Detective Bushby?"

"Detective Sergeant Nelson?"

"Yes, pleased to meet you."

"You as well." They shook hands.

They had barely exchanged their greetings before a man in a suit approached them. It was obvious who he was: Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby. Their boss.

"Detective Sergeant Nelson and Detective Bushby I presume?"

"Sir, pleased to meet you."

"Sir. A pleasure."

The two shook hands with the Detective Chief Inspector.

"Congratulations, your first day and already in at the deep end. Welcome to Midsomer."

The two young detectives exchanged a glance, but it was clear that the boss wanted something more. He was giving them an inquisitive look.

"Oh, yes, the victim is Conner Bridgeman," Nelson stepped in, reading off his notes. "Male, mid-thirties, furniture maker. He was killed in the middle of the night here. His wife lives on the other side of the village, she's been informed."

"And cause of death?"

"He was run through twice by a sword," Beth informed Barnaby. "Not exactly something you hear all the time here in the twenty-first century."

"Well what was our victim doing here in the middle of the night?"

"Fright Night," Nelson explained. "It's some sort of paranormal investigation. Something to do with the ghost of a blacksmith's daughter." He paused before asking, "Does that happen a lot around here?"

"Not as far as I know. I take it you've confiscated any recordings?" Silence. "I'm assuming a paranormal investigation uses some kind of recording equipment."

"Right. Onto that, Guv." Nelson pocketed his notepad and headed for the manor door.

"I'm sure this is the start of a successful working relationship, DS Nelson. But it will go a lot more smoothly if you don't call me 'Guv'." Which was the DCI's polite way of saying, 'don't call me that'.

It was difficult to say whether or not Nelson blushed, as his cheeks were already flushed by the cool winter air. He gave an apologetic nod. "Sir."

Barnaby grinned and nodded, apparently satisfied. "Right. Shall we?" He led the way into the manor.

Nelson heaved a heavy breath. "Good start, Charlie," he muttered to himself.

"S'okay, it's still early." Beth patted him on the shoulder good-naturedly, and followed their boss into the sprawling manor house.

A crowd of witnesses and people affected by the murder had gathered in the drawing room.

Barnaby appeared startled by Nelson's method of quieting the hall: clapping his hands loudly to get their attention, before asking for silence, this all echoing throughout the room. He then gestured to the still-startled DCI, handing over the attention to him. "Sir."

Beth couldn't help but chuckle. This new job was certainly going to be interesting.

* * *

The legs of Beth's desk scraped against the floor as she pushed it from one side of the room to where it met Nelson's desk in the middle, so, when seated, the partners would be facing each other.

"Do you mind?"

"Not at all," Nelson replied.

Now that her desk was in place, Beth began arranging her things atop the desk, including the photo of her and Reg.

"Bushby, how are you ever going to work with all that clutter?" Barnaby walked into the room then.

"I like having personal items on my desk, Sir. Makes me feel more at home."

He nodded. Then he nodded to the photo. "Is that Detective Reggie Harper?"

"Yes, Sir. He was my partner back in London."

"I read about it all in the newspaper. Terrible tragedy, that was."

"Yes Sir, it was. It's why I'm here now."

Barnaby nodded sympathetically before getting back down to business. "Don't get too comfortable - Kate's going to be bringing in some files from the lab for the two of you to look over." With that, he left.

"Detective Harper? Was he the officer who was killed in the shooting during that chase a few months ago?" Nelson inquired.

She nodded. "Six months ago." Six months, three weeks, five days...

"You were there?"

"Uh huh, saw the whole thing."

"I'm sorry. That's awful."

She nodded her thanks.

"You weren't hurt, were you?"

"No, amazingly. Yeah, Reg was great. A great detective. We worked well together." She didn't tell him that she and Reggie's desks had been arranged this exact way back in London.

Kate arrived with the promised files for the detectives to look over, and Beth tried to focus on hers.

_Too soon, Beth. Too soon._

* * *

Barnaby brought the two young detectives to his house where they could observe the security camera footage from the manor on his DVD player.

His wife, Sarah, greeted them, obviously excited to meet them. As was the dog, Sykes. "Charlie, Beth, pleasure to meet you. I'm Sarah."

"Pleased to meet you - both," Nelson quickly added, eyes falling upon Sarah's pregnant belly.

"Oh, didn't John tell you we're having a baby."

The two young partners exchanged a glance. Barnaby was mouthing 'yes!' to them from behind Sarah. "Oh, yes! Couldn't be more excited-"

"Yes, he hasn't stopped banging on about it..."

"Well, I see he's already got you lying for him. Marvelous. Well, you'll go far, both of you. Cup of tea?"

"Oh, we can't stay, we just came to check something," Barnaby explained.

But Sarah wasn't finished speaking with their guests. "I'm told you're both from London. Where do they have you two cooped up?"

"Um, I'm with my sister in the next village over," Beth explained. "Quick commute by car."

"And I'm in some shoe-box on the edge of town," said Nelson. "No car."

"You're not staying there for Christmas, are you?"

"Sarah," protested Barnaby.

"Well have you got family in the area?"

"Sarah!"

"I'll be fine, thank you," Charlie assured her.

Sarah smiled warmly at him and Beth. "Well, I won't keep you."

With that, Nelson and Beth followed Barnaby into the living room where the TV was.

"There's Ross Clymer on the phone," Barnaby narrated.

"To Tabby, that would match his phone records," said Nelson.

They watched the dim footage, observing as Tabby Fergus-Johnson emerged from the manor house and embraced Clymer, the pair beginning to kiss, and passionately.

"So Tabby was lying when she said it was a one-off then," said Nelson, followed by a scoff. "This lot are so screwed up."

"Dysfunctional, I think, Nelson," said Barnaby, clearly not appreciating the DS's choice of words.

"Well, I mean, they are all screwing around with each other, so, kind of applies," stepped-in Beth, sharing a smile with Nelson.

Barnaby decided to let it go. "What people won't do for love."

* * *

Turned out, Sarah didn't need to be worried about anyone being alone for Christmas - Kate rented Nelson the extra room in her house and the two came to Christmas dinner at the Barnaby's, as did Beth. Sarah had always planned to invite them anyways.

"Wow," Nelson exclaimed upon seeing Barnaby in a Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer jumper.

"Very nice, Sir," commented Beth.

"I like them," Sarah said to John when the two were in the kitchen getting dessert ready to bring out. "Also, I think they'd make a very handsome couple."

"Sarah," sighed Barnaby, though he was smiling. "Always the romantic." The two watched as Charlie and Beth pulled apart a Christmas cracker together, laughing at the loud sound it made, both withdrawing little paper crowns and putting them on.

"See? Adorable." Sarah smiled and brought out the dessert. "I know you had your doubts about this change, but I think it looks promising."

_Hello and welcome, and thank you for reading chapter one! :) I hope you enjoyed, more to come soon! (I love writing this because it gives me an excuse to re-watch the show! ;)_


	3. Partners in - Solving - Crime

Partners in - Solving - Crime

"Guess who went for a run at six o'clock this morning," Kate told Barnaby.

"Let me guess..."

"And guess what he had for breakfast?"

"I cannot imagine."

"A cup of green tea."

Barnaby shook his head. "The man's a freak."

"Who are you two gossiping about?" Beth asked, joining the DCI and pathologist.

"Take a wild guess, Bushby."

"Oh, poor Charlie," she chuckled. "Well I've already heard loads about, quote, your 'pig sty' house, Kate." So it seemed the two housemates were gossiping loads about each other.

Kate gasped. "It's not _that_ bad!"

"Well, it would seem Charlie disagrees."

* * *

Barnaby, Charlie, and Beth were visiting the house of Lizzy Thornfield, an elderly village woman who had called in a murder early that morning.

While Barnaby asked her all the necessary questions, Beth and Charlie poked around her house. Charlie picked up a small bag of what looked like dried herbs and sniffed it.

"Wild oats and ginseng," Ms. Thornfield informed him. "Very good for your libido."

Charlie immediately stopped what he was doing, all eyes on him now, including the raised-eyebrow glance from Barnaby, and promptly returned the bag to the shelf it had been on. Beth was trying not to laugh out loud at the way he was blushing all the way up to his ears.

After the questioning, the three officers headed out, on their way to the next scene of the investigation.

"Sure you didn't want some of that wild oats and ginseng," Beth teased.

"Shut up. You want to get some?" he teased back.

"Maybe." She chuckled at the way he started rapidly blushing again.

* * *

"Fun fact: Your partner sings in the shower," Kate informed Beth the next morning.

"Does he? And what, do pray tell, does old Charlie like to sing?"

"_You're My Best Friend _by Queen."

"Aww."

"Lunch delivery!"

"Nellie." Beth went to go greet the young woman who was wandering through the station. "Oh thank you, I left it on the counter when I left this morning, completely forgot." She took the paper-bagged lunch.

"I know. Got up, saw it sitting there, thought 'oh dear, not again.' Luckily for you I was heading this way today."

"Yes, thank you."

Nellie glanced around. "Well, this is certainly less swanky than your London office." She collapsed into Charlie's desk chair.

Beth rolled her eyes. "I like this one. It's much more cozy."

"If you can call a police station cozy. You have strange taste."

"Nel, this is Dr. Kate Wilding, our resident pathologist. Kate, this is Nellie, my sister."

"That's all I get? 'The sister.' Next to the 'Resident Pathologist.'" Nellie grinned and shook Kate's hand, jumping to her feet. "Fancy title, wish I had one!"

Beth rolled her eyes, knowing full well that her sister was flirting.

Kate seemed into it though. "And, what should I call you?"

Now Nellie sat on the edge of Charlie's desk. "Nellie, just Nellie. Or Nellie Jasper, journalist."

Charlie entered the office at that moment, arms full of files.

"Up Nel, the DS is going to need his desk back."

"So you're the new partner, huh?" Nellie faced Charlie, freeing up his desk once again.

Charlie set the pile of papers and folders down on his desk. "Yes, that's me."

"Charlie, this is my sister, Nellie," Beth introduced. "She's already making herself at home, as you can see."

Nellie must have been Beth's adopted, step, or half sister, judging by her dark complexion and hair, stark contrast to Beth's olive complexion and red hair. But Charlie didn't question it. He could tell just from their interactions that they were very close. "Nice to meet you."

"Come, I'll get you a cup of tea, you can tell me about your writing projects," said Kate. "Best let the detectives do their work."

* * *

"Oh, he's cute."

Beth jumped when she entered the station's kitchen and found Nellie standing there.

"Still here, are you?"

"Yup, hanging with Kate. You know you could have told me your resident pathologist was beautiful, charming, and single. And you know what else you could have told me? That your new work partner is an absolute cutie. If I were into that, I would totally be all over him."

"Don't you have work to be doing?"

"It can wait. So..."

"So?"

"So! Charlie! Tell me more about him! What's he like?"

"Hasn't Kate given you the scoop? He's her lodger."

"Hmm, interesting."

"And he's strictly off-limits."

"Why's that?"

"Work partner," said Beth as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well that never stopped you before."

"Perhaps, but that was then, this is now. It's better this way, I think."

Nellie shrugged, clearly still unconvinced. "Okay, if you say so. Besides, you're the detective, I'm not. But I would think that solving murder mysteries in the intimacy of small villages would bring you close together. Plus, tough job, you'd need each other's emotional support."

Beth chuckled and rolled her eyes. "You just stick to your journalism. Let me handle the detective work. And you'd better not be distracting Kate. We need her."

"Well, many women have told me I'm distracting." Nellie flashed a grin. "Forget what I said earlier - you can forget your lunches more often."

Beth just laughed.

* * *

Wellies on their feet, the three detectives went trudging through the woods nearby where the murder victim had been found. With them was Mr. Weston, one of the farmers who had worked with the murder victim.

"What's that doing there?" Charlie asked, pointing into the trees. Up one of the trunks was a little black box.

"Looks like a bat box," said Weston "That's funny, never noticed that before."

Seemed like a load of bollocks to Beth, but she kept that to herself.

Barnaby gestured to the young detectives. "Nelson, Bushby."

"Oh, yeah..." The two wandered over - they had to figure out how to get up the tree to the mysterious box. There was a branch that stood just a little taller than Charlie, but no branches below it, so not an easy climb.

"Here, give me a boost." Beth stepped towards the tree.

"Um, okay... How do you want to do this?" Charlie held out his hands awkwardly towards her.

"Hold my waist on either side, and lift-" She jumped slightly to get some momentum, and they did a sort of ballet-like lift, just much less graceful.

"Sorry!" Beth called downward, grabbing onto the branch and narrowly missing kicking Charlie in the face.

"Sir, we've got a security camera here," she called. "And I think I'm going to need some help down." She clung to the branch as if for dear life, hugging it around it's width.

"Don't worry, Nelson will catch you if you fall."

"I will? Uh, I mean, I will."

_Couldn't help but throw a 'Bohemian Rhapsody' reference in here - knowing me, there may be more of those in the future ;)_

_Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :) See you next time!_


	4. Matchmakers and Matchbreakers

Matchmakers and Matchbreakers

"Forgot your lunch again, did we Beth?" said Kate, amused, as Nellie loudly announced her presence as usual, her sister's lunch in hand.

"Are you sure you're a good detective? You're always forgetting things," Nellie chided, all part of her charade to see more of Kate. "Is she really any good?" she asked Charlie.

"Yes, I would say so." Charlie nodded. "The DCI and I are lucky to have her."

"Thanks, Sarge. I was just telling Kate and Charlie about the first case Reg and I solved together," Beth filled her sister in.

"Oh no, don't get her started on Reg. Once she starts nothing can stop her prattling on and on for hours." Now Nellie was helping herself to the station kitchen's coffee supply.

"She certainly has nothing but praise for him," remarked Charlie.

"He was a great guy," Nellie agreed. "I don't think you could say a bad thing about him."

"Yeah, I really miss him," Beth remarked, and the mood suddenly changed to solemn.

Nellie, however, was good at dissolving awkward situations, thankfully. "Kate! You were going to tell me about that autopsy you did."

"Oh yeah - it was a few months ago..." The two women left, lost in conversation.

Charlie raised his eyebrows as he watched them go. "Thick as thieves, those two."

"Yes, they certainly hit it off, didn't they," Beth agreed.

"I'll say."

"Bushby, Nelson! This murder isn't going to solve itself!"

"No, Sir!"

"Coming!"

* * *

"You want your usual tonight?"

"What?" Kate asked, looking up from the file she was examining.

"From the Silver Dragon? It's my turn to get the Chinese. Were having another take-out-and-murder-mystery-TV-night, right? So I thought I'd get it on my way home," said Charlie. "So, usual?"

"Hmmm, no, not tonight."

"Okay, well, I could go to the Raj if you fancy a curry. Chicken biryani and a naan?"

"What about pizza?"

"Okay, great, I'll go to Angelo's-" Charlie sat down at his desk, beginning to sort papers while perfectly reciting their usual pizza order: "A medium meat feast, extra olives-"

Kate had to intervene. "Charlie, don't you think it's the tiniest bit disturbing that you know all our takeaway orders by heart?"

"No." Charlie merely shrugged and sipped his coffee. "Should I?"

Kate rolled her eyes, concerned that he was not the least bit concerned. "When was the last time you had a night out?"

"Well, the other night-"

"Other than the pub quiz."

"I don't know. It's the countryside, there's not much happening."

"There's plenty happening, Charlie! And right under your nose!"

He still didn't seem to know what she was talking about. "We're still have takeaway TV night?" he asked almost cautiously.

"Yes, but you know what, I'm going to invite Beth and Nellie to join us. That sound all right?"

"Oh, okay. Yeah, sounds good. You just want another chance to see Nellie." Kate swatted at him before turning to leave. "Well what takeaway should I order then?"

"You choose!"

So many options. "I guess I'll have to do a quick tidy when I get home, seeing as we're having guests."

Kate's silence was all the response he got.

* * *

"How is Charlie?" asked Sarah.

"I think I've broken him," said Kate. "I'm perfectly happy with my life: work, TV, takeaways, fairly lax attitude to housekeeping. But I didn't think it was contagious and I certainly didn't think Charlie would succumb."

"You think he needs to get out more?"

"Yes, thank you! And someone's offering him a chance to do that, on a plate. But he's not even looking at the plate. He's too engrossed in his work all the time."

"Beth?" Sarah smiled knowingly.

"Yes, although she's hardly any better! Nellie says her sister is like the equivalent of Charlie."

"A perfect match then." Sarah grinned. "We'll keep working at this Kate, you, Nellie, and I. We'll get somewhere with those stubborn detectives."

* * *

A few months and a few cases in, Beth and Charlie were mostly settled in, feeling at home, and definitely more like a team. Barnaby had warmed to his new detectives as well. He had also noticed that said detectives were growing closer.

"Bushby, can I see you in my office for a moment please?"

"Sir?" She followed him inside where he shut the door.

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble."

"Yet."

"I was just curious as to the extent of the nature of your relationship with Nelson."

She raised her eyebrows, appearing genuinely surprised and confused. "Sir?"

"I just wondered as, you know, you're both new here, young, and it's a tough job. I don't know, I just thought you might grow... Closer..."

A moment of slightly awkward silence hung in the air until she spoke. "I assure you, Sir, Charlie and I are strictly professional."

"I just wouldn't want something to happen to create tension in our workplace."

"Of course not, Sir. I completely understand."

" Thank you, Bushby. And don't worry, I will be having this same conversation with Nelson."

She was about to say, 'Not necessary, Sir,' but he obviously thought it was, so she just left it.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Charlie entered their office looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Can I take a wild guess and say that you just had a rather strange conversation with the DCI?" Beth said.

"Yeah, he said he'd talked to you too. Wonder what ever gave him that idea."

"Yeah. I told him we were strictly professional and that there was nothing to worry about."

"So did I." Charlie nodded.

"Glad we're on the same page."

"Me too."

_Hello and welcome back! I'm so sorry for the delay, but my last semester at university was super busy and I just wasn't feeling very inspired for any of my stories :( However, I seem to be getting back into the groove, and have some time on my hands now with school finished, so hopefully I will get lots of writing done! :)_

_Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)_


	5. The Copenhagen Crush

The Copenhagen Crush

When Beth and Charlie arrived at Barnaby and Sarah's house early in the morning, the DCI was on the phone with a detective in Copenhagen concerning their latest case - it seemed the Midsomer case had connections all the way in Denmark.

He continued on with the call, handing Charlie a small tool and giving a nod to where Sarah sat in the kitchen. It appeared that she and Barnaby had been in the process of assembling the baby crib when he received the call.

Taking that as a sign to go help, Beth picked up the instruction manual, while Charlie examined all the pieces that somehow fit together.

One end of the crib had already been assembled and was now resting against the table waiting to be connected to the rest of the structure. This is where Charlie chose to hang his coat. It was not, however, as sturdy as it looked, and the whole end slipped, falling to the floor. Sykes yelped and scurried out of the way while Charlie gave a surprised "Oh!" Sarah and Beth both giggled.

Barnaby had seen all this. He held the phone away from his ear. "For crying out loud, Nelson!"

* * *

The current case had taken the Midsomer crew to Denmark - obviously not everything could be solved in just Midsomer County this time around.

Arriving in Copenhagen, Charlie paid the cab driver, using the Danish he had learned during the flight over - he had spent the whole time practicing. He grinned proudly.

"Well done, Nelson," said Barnaby. "However, I believe you tipped the driver too much."

Charlie's grin fell, and for a moment it looked as though he was about to throw down his suitcase and chase after the driver.

However, there was no time for that - Detective Poulsen and Detective Degn were waiting for them.

They made quick, necessary introductions with the Danish detectives before getting right down to business.

Charlie was obviously very immediately smitten by Detective Poulsen's assistant, Detective Anna Degn. The two instantly clicked, fitting together perfectly. Beth tried not to let this bother her, but it felt like she was being pushed to the side while they did all the work. Dare she say she even started to feel like a third-wheel?

This only became clearer later, during a suspect chase, when Beth tripped and fell mid-chase, and she had been so close to catching him!

Charlie and Anna swept in, Charlie tackling the man to the ground and Anna swiftly handcuffing him. Good teamwork.

"Nicely done." Charlie grinned at her.

She smiled back. "You too."

When the case was all done and solved, and they were saying goodbye to the Copenhagen team before heading back to Britain, Charlie stood before Anna, looking as though he might just pour his heart out right then and there, confessing his undying love for her.

It was unclear whether or not she felt the same connection as he did, as she stood there eyeing him quizzically. Beth just thought it was extremely awkward. It was kind of cute, however, how Charlie was standing there silently, grinning widely.

Thankfully, Barnaby called him and urged Charlie to rejoin him and Beth, and if Charlie had been about to say something to Anna after all, he didn't get the chance.

Barnaby was especially eager to return home as Sarah had called him earlier, alerting him that she was in labour. He headed directly from the airport to the hospital.

He and Sarah welcomed baby Betty Barnaby that day. Charlie, Beth, and Kate all arrived later to celebrate and meet Betty.

"So, how was Denmark?" Sarah asked a little later while Betty was asleep. "Oh, I'd so like to get there someday."

"It was fine, the case is solved, so that's the main part. Wasn't much time for sightseeing, unfortunately," Beth informed her. "Charlie has a crush," she decided to add.

"Oh," Sarah seemed intrigued, and maybe even a little confused, but Beth didn't know why.

Now all eyes were on Charlie. He didn't even try and deny it. He just blushed and said, "Anna."

* * *

It had been a few weeks since the Copenhagen case and the Midsomer crew were now deep into their next case - all the while Charlie was still fantasizing about the last one.

"I'm really glad Anna wanted to keep in touch," he mentioned one morning while sipping his coffee dreamily.

This wasn't the first time he'd brought up Anna since their short trip to Copenhagen, and surely wasn't going to be the last, so it would seem.  
"Don't care, Nelson," said Barnaby, looking up from the file in his hand, bringing the DS's focus back to the case at hand.

Quite frankly, Beth didn't care either.

* * *

"You know, Anna said she'd help me with my danish if I wanted," Charlie announced one following morning in the police station kitchen where he, Beth, Kate, and Nellie we're sharing their morning tea, coffee, and pastries. "Which would be lovely. I'd love some help learning Danish, and who better than a native speaker? It's also a lot easier to learn a language when you have someone to speak to, share conversation. Anna says-"

"Yes, she's perfect, we get it," Beth suddenly snapped, cutting him off.

Charlie was clearly taken aback. "I'm sorry?"

"That's all it ever is with you now, ever since Copenhagen: Anna this, Anna that, on and on and on! It's driving me mental! By the sounds of it, you'd much rather have her as a partner. Maybe you should have just stayed there with her."

"Well, you'd rather go back to being Reggie's partner," Charlie shot back. "Not like it's any secret."

"Yeah, I would, but he's dead."

Her declaration was followed by a heated silence, the two staring at each other, Kate and Nellie staring in shocked silence between the two.

"Bushby, Nelson." Barnaby appeared, unaware of the disagreement between the two detectives. "We're splitting up again. We need to go to see the victim's wife again, and go back to the crime scene for another survey of the area. I think we might still be missing something there."

"I'll go see the wife," volunteered Beth, already on her way out the door.

"I'll go to the crime scene," said Charlie, grabbing his jacket, both promptly heading off in opposite directions, leaving a confused and slightly-startled Barnaby behind.

"I guess I'll stay here, then."

_ Charlie is too cute! Thank you for reading and showing Charlie some love! ;)_


	6. Jealousy

Jealousy

"I think you're jealous."

Beth snorted. "Don't be daft."

"I'm not, I'm serious." Nellie shrugged. "Sounds an awful lot like jealousy to me. And it's both-sided too."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're both making each other jealous."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Well you prattle on about Reggie and how great he was. How do you think that makes your current partner feel?"

Beth opened her mouth to protest but then closed it again - she had to admit she hadn't thought of it in that way.

"And, correct me if I'm wrong, but that's the same way you feel when he goes on and on about this Anna."

"Well, I, well," Beth spluttered, unable to form a complete sentence as she absorbed the meaning behind her sister's words.

Nellie only smirked. "You can thank me later."

* * *

"I mean, what does she care?" Charlie was ranting to Kate. The whole day had been spent with cold silence between the partners or full on avoiding each other at every opportunity. And this unusual behaviour went noticed by everyone.

"Maybe she's jealous. Like you are when she talks about Reggie."

"I'm not jealous."

Kate just raised her eyebrows. "You have been going on and on a lot about this Anna."

"Not _that_ much."

"Well..."

"Really, that much?" He hadn't realized...

Kate nodded. "Yeah, _that_ much. And how do you think that makes Beth, your partner, feel? If I were in her position, I would feel a lot like you'd rather replace me with Anna."

"I never - well I... I never thought she'd take it so personally..."

Kate rolled her eyes. "You really have a way with the ladies, don't you, Charlie-boy."

* * *

Nellie had dragged Beth out on the town for a 'fun Friday night' a few days into the partners' avoidance of each other. Beth had been very content reading her latest murder mystery novel, thank you very much, to which her sister countered that she spent too much time surrounded by murders, and needed to do something else in her free time when she wasn't solving said murders.

"Oh look, there's Kate - and Charlie!" Nellie suddenly cried, feigning surprise and startling Beth.

"What are you doing here?" Kate asked.

"A night on the town."

"Funny, so were we." Kate and Nellie shared a mischievous grin. "But now that you're here I think there might be a change of plans..."

"Me too!"

"Well, we're off to the pub for a surprise date night. Catch you later!" Arm-in-arm, the girlfriends gave the two detectives a wave before heading out, gone, just like that. Charlie and Beth just stood staring after them, shaking their heads.

"Honestly, those two," said Charlie.

"I can't believe it," Beth agreed.

"Well, they fooled us two detectives."

"Yeah. But I guess solving murders is our specialty, not spotting set-ups."

"True." There was a moment of silence before Charlie spoke again. "So, since we're out, would you like to get a drink?" He nodded to the pub.

"All right, Detective Sergeant."

"Very well, Detective."

A few minutes later found them seated inside the pub at a cozy corner booth, drinks in-hand.

"So," Charlie began, not really knowing where he was going with this.

"So?" she repeated.

There was another moment of silence between them before they both started laughing.

"I suppose I'm not very good at casual conversation," he admitted. "Ask me about work and you can't shut me up."

"Or about a certain Danish detective." The words were out of Beth's mouth before she even realized what she was saying. "God, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that."

To her relief, and some surprise, Charlie merely shrugged in response to her comment. "It's true. I have been talking about her a lot."

"Yes, you have."

"Probably getting a little annoying."

"A little." She chuckled. "But you're right, she is a very talented detective, and you worked well together."

"Yes, but I'm happy with where I am now. I've come to really warm to our little team."

She smiled. "Me too."

"You know, I'm surprised we never crossed paths in London. It's funny we should both work in the big city and never meet but then both come to a small town and meet here."

"It is funny," she agreed. "Destiny perhaps."

"Perhaps. So, what were you up to before your sister dragged you out on the town?"

"I was reading my mystery novel."

"Ah. I thought Kate and I were going to have another take-out and telly night, but she said, 'No, we're going out.'"

"Nellie thinks we're crazy, we lot, you, Kate, and I. We spend every day solving murder mysteries, then we go home and watch them on telly and read them in books."

"Quite the bunch, we are," he agreed.

"Yes, indeed."

They ended up chatting for a couple more hours, even after their drinks were finished.

"Thanks Charlie, this was nice," Beth said as they left the pub.

"Thank _you_, Beth. Yes it was."

"Maybe we should make it something regular. I think Kate and Nellie are right when they say we can get a little too absorbed in our work."

"Yes, we can. That's why we're such a good pair."

He was right, they did make a good pair.

* * *

Everyone at the station - and Nellie, who was visiting once again - were glad to see the DS and Detective back to their usual chipper partnership the next day. Whatever had been going on, they seemed to have sorted it out. Even DCI Barnaby was pleased - especially DCI Barnaby.

"Hello Bushby, Nelson," he greeted the following morning. "And how are we today?"

"Good, Sir."

"Yeah, great, thanks."

"Good. Glad to hear it."

_This was fun, adding in some scenes that weren't in the show :) Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)_


	7. The Start of Something New

The Start of Something New

"Please date him. Then we can go on double dates!" Nellie pleaded her sister.

Beth rolled her eyes. "Just because we meet for drinks once a week after work now doesn't mean we're dating. Or that we're interested in it."

"Well then, make it so. And you _are_ interested!"

"Who says I am?"

"_I_ do!"

Now Beth sighed. "I don't know... It's not that simple..."

"About what? You like Charlie, don't you?"

"Well, yes, I do..." And more than she was about to admit to her sister at the moment, for she knew Nellie would only blow it all out of proportion, and she definitely didn't want or need that right now.

"So?"

"So, I'm not so sure about - well, 'falling for' another police officer, for lack of a better term."

"Well, if it helps, Kate says he won't shut up about you now."

"What?"

"You didn't hear it from me. But you've charmed sweet Charlie."

It didn't help. In fact, it only made everything more complicated.

The sad thing was, she and Charlie had been really connecting lately, thanks to their pub visits - not dates. And the more she denied it, the more she wished she wouldn't.

* * *

The next morning, Beth pulled the car up in front of the station. Charlie must have borrowed one of the station's cars for he was standing beside one out front, removing his jumper to reveal a peach-coloured button up shirt as his chosen attire for the day. Beth had decided that Charlie looked good in any colour.

The motion of pulling the jumper over his head ruffled his hair in an adorable manner. He must have just arrived at work as well.

He waved at her on her way by, giving her a wide grin, she waving and grinning back before pulling to a stop in front of the building.

She hesitated before tilting the rearview mirror in order to 'subtly' check him out as he adjusted his shirt. Oh, look at her now!

He had always been off-limits, being her work partner, and after what had happened with Reg she really hadn't planned on falling for her partner again.

Funny how plans change, or don't go at all the way you'd thought at all.

* * *

"Morning Beth," Charlie said as she stepped out of the car.

"Morning Charlie."

"How are you?"

"Good thanks. And yourself?"

"Good, good thanks."

They both moved to walk through the station door at the same time, bumping arms, before both pulling back and giggling. He gave a sweep of his arm and let her go through first.

"Oh, thanks." She slipped through the doorway.

"Of course." He followed close behind.

This was all closely seen by Kate.

"Morning Beth," she said to Charlie, deepening her voice to imitate his own. "How are you? Please go right ahead." She over-dramatically reenacted his sweeping-arm gesture. Luckily Beth had already disappeared into the offices and didn't see or hear any of Kate's charade.

Charlie shook his head. "What are you on about?"

"Perhaps there is hope for you."

"Oh, come on-"

"I was beginning to worry." With that, Kate disappeared into her lab, leaving Charlie standing there shaking his head.

* * *

"I mean, what is it with Midsomer and affairs?" Charlie said during their weekly pub visit, their way of ending yet another busy week of case-solving. "It seems that in every case we've cracked there's been at least one affair involved."

"I know! Small, intimate villages I suppose."

"But wouldn't that make it more difficult to hide?"

"You'd think. It seems like the only happy couples around here are Barnaby and Sarah and Kate and my sister."

"Yeah, apparently."

"It's sad, really. I guess that means there's a lot of unhappy relationships around here."

"Yeah... You know, sometimes, I miss the madness of the big city."

"Honestly, me too. The countryside has grown on me, though."

"Yeah," Charlie nodded. "Me too."

Beth drove Charlie home, as she had a car and he didn't.

"Thanks, I should really look into getting a car. But I really only drive for work, and we have the station car so." He shrugged.

"It's really no trouble. You ever need a ride somewhere, just give me a holler."

"Will do. Goodnight Beth."

"Goodnight Charlie."

* * *

"So, how was your date with Beth?"

"_Outing_ with Beth," Charlie corrected Kate who only smiled. She had been perched on the couch waiting for him to return so that she could interrogate him for details. Nellie would no doubt be doing the same once Beth arrived home.

"Did you know that Beth and Reggie worked together for five years? She was telling me. We were swapping London stories."

"Yeah. It's so sad, they'd only just started dating."

"Pardon?"

"They had only just started dating when he died."

"What?" Charlie seemed genuinely surprised.

"They were work partners, but they started dating before he died. You didn't know, really? Nellie told me, but it's perfectly obvious."

"It is?"

"Yes, just in the way she talks about him."

"Oh God, I'm such an idiot." Charlie buried his face in his hands. "No wonder she talked about him so much. I knew she lost someone very important to her, but I didn't realize - God, I feel so stupid, so insensitive."

"You didn't know," Kate reassured him.

The next morning at work, Charlie snuck a glance at the photo of Beth and Reggie that she kept on her desk. The _did_ look very close in that photo.

He was a detective, meaning he was very observant - Charlie wondered how he had ever missed it before.

_Borrowing some of this from Charlie and PC Florrie's relationship - I love how she totally checks him out as she drives by! ;) Not subtle at all either! Me too, Carolyn, me too!_

_Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)_


	8. For Love

For Love

"What people won't do for love," Charlie had said during their first case together in Midsomer. This statement, profound as Barnaby had put it, seemed to be a common trend throughout all the following cases as well. Fitting, perhaps.

"We originally thought this was about money or property, but, turns out, it was about something far more dangerous: love. What people will do for and out of love," Barnaby remarked as they closed the Wyvern House murder case where the pub landlady had attempted to murder her ex-husband's new wife because she was convinced her already broken marriage could still be saved.

"Yeah, some crazy stuff, that's for sure," said Charlie. "What was it that Lizzie Thornfield said that made you realize?"

"When you lose someone you truly love the pain never goes away."

"What got me was when she she said she didn't believe time was a great healer," recalled Beth. "I guess it would depend on the situation, but when you lose a loved one, not even time can heal that."

* * *

During their current case, in which murders in the village were resembling a Medieval painting being restored in the village church, the trio had brought a young man into the station for questioning after discovering security camera footage of him with the murder vicim on the night of her death.

"She told me that if I helped her leave the village, she would put in a good word for me with Ava, her friend," the man explained.

"What would she do that for?" Charlie asked.

Beth rolled her eyes. "Well it's obvious, isn't it? He has feelings for her."

"Oh..."

"Is this true?" Barnaby asked.

"Yes," said the man. "I love her."

Love, it seemed, was all around. Even in murder cases.

* * *

The investigation continued. While Barnaby was meeting again with the victim's family, he had sent Beth and Charlie into town to the local pub.

"Be right with you!" a man's voice called from the back room when they entered the pub, he alerted by the creak of the door. A young man appeared moments later. "Ah, hello. What can I get you today, Love?" the bartender flirted. "Anything half price, just for you." He even gave a little wink.

Charlie wasn't having any of it. "Excuse me, Sir, but we are-"

Neither was Beth. "It's all right, Charlie, I'll handle this." She approached the bar counter, withdrawing her ID badge and flashing it in front of the bartender's face. His expression immediately fell. "I'm Detective Bushby, and this is my partner Detective Sergeant Nelson, Causton C.I.D. We're investigating a suspicious death in the area that we've labelled as a murder, and were hoping to ask you a few questions."

After their chat with the now sheepish bartender, which led on to little leads for the case, they left to rejoin Barnaby who was now back at the scene of the crime.

Charlie was smiling. "What?" Beth asked.

"The look on his face was priceless. That was very nicely handled."

She grinned. "Thank you."

* * *

"I just don't want her to think I'm coming on too strong, especially now that I know she and Reggie were romantically involved," Charlie was musing.

"Charlie, you are a gentle soul, you're not coming on 'too strong', trust me." Kate sipped her tea. "When did I become your love-life confidant?"

"Sorry."

Kate grinned. "No, no, keep going. As your landlady/housemate I want all the gossip. I think you should just be open and honest with her and tell her how you feel, best get right to the point."

"But won't that make things awkward at work?"

"You mean more awkward than it already is watching you two dancing around each other all day every day?"

Charlie rolled his eyes. Then he said, "I'll think about it. Right now, my love life takes the backseat to our current investigation."

* * *

"If you're not in the shower, and I'm not in the shower, then who's using our shower, Detective Bushby?" Nellie said upon entering the kitchen one following morning. "Do, pray tell."

"Charlie."

"Oh?"

"He likes to go on early morning runs. We worked it out at our last pub outing that he can run here, get all ready, and then we can both go into work together."

"Ah. Why doesn't he just stay the night if he's going to get ready for work here?"

"Defeats the purpose of the run. He's living with your girlfriend, need I remind you."

"Well, if he did stay, you could alway help him with - _other_ \- forms of exercise instead."

Beth choked on her orange juice.

"He's probably naked..."

"Stop it." With that, Beth promptly left the kitchen.

Nellie only grinned. "We've got a blushing Bushby, folks."

Footsteps moments later signalled Beth's return to the kitchen. "I really like him," she sighed.

"Sounds like it," responded Nellie. "I can tell by the overwhelming enthusiasm in your voice."

Beth rolled her eyes. "This wasn't supposed to happen."

"Don't say that. You can't help it."

"No, that's right, I can't," Beth admitted. "I just don't want him to think he's a rebound for me, that I'm clinging to him in the wake of Reggie's death. I really like him, and I want him to realize that."

"Well, tell him, and I'm sure he will, realize it. Talk to him. Tell him how you feel - about him, and about what happened with Reggie. It's doing no one any good to have you two dance around each other all the time. Plus, it's frustrating to watch." Again, Beth rolled her eyes. "You might want to wait till he's out of the shower, though."

_Been watching the show again - so good! I'm actually so in love with Charlie - too bad he's a fictional character! :(_

_Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)_


	9. The Start of Something New and Wonderful

The Start of Something New - and Wonderful

"You know, for a couple of mature, serious, adult murder mystery detectives, you both are horrible at dealing with your feelings for each other."

"Thanks for the subtlety, Sis, as always." Beth sighed. "It's just another thing we have in common: good in our work lives, but lacking in our social lives."

"Yes, you two were made for each other. Exactly the same."

"Not _exactly_. I would never go for a run or play tennis or do any other sporty-thing in the ungodly hours of the morning."

"Okay, so there's that, but still, pretty close overall. A perfect match as far as I'm concerned. And, in terms of your lacking social life, I might be able to help with that..."

It turned out Kate and Nellie were cooking dinner at Kate's house for them, Beth, and Charlie.

Charlie answered the door when Beth arrived. "Hope you didn't start the party without me," she said.

"It's started now that you're here," he assured her. "Ah, thank you," he said when she presented him with the bottle of wine she had brought.

"That's not blood, is it?" she asked, noting the dark red stain on his shirt.

"Oh, no. Kate waved the spoon at me when she was kicking me out of the kitchen, and there was pasta sauce on it."

"Ah. She and Nellie have seized the kitchen, have they?"

"Yes they have. Sorry, come in," he said, realizing she was still standing on the doorstep.

"Thank you." Charlie took her coat and led her to the kitchen.

"Charlie, out!" scolded Kate. "Only the cooks allowed!"

"I'm just grabbing a bottle opener," Charlie assured her, sneaking over to a drawer and withdrawing the needed tool. "For this lovely bottle of wine Beth brought us."

The group was having another murder mystery TV binge. Once everyone had a heaping plate of pasta and glass of wine, they all assembled before the TV set. Kate and Nellie snuggled together on the large recliner chair, while Beth and Charlie got the small couch. Beth's small legs wouldn't reach the footrest, as it was stretched out to accommodate Charlie's six-foot-plus stature, so she kicked up her legs and rested them on his legs instead. He pulled a blanket over them both. They remained this way the whole evening, scooting closer and closer together as the night went on.

"Five pounds says the murderer is the farmer," Beth said about fifteen minutes into the first episode.

"Deal," said Charlie.

"Shhh!" shushed Nellie. "You're supposed to just be watching, not working."

"Sorry, can't help it."

In the end, Beth ended up being right, and Charlie gave her the five pounds.

"I'll walk you out to the car," he said at the end of the night when Beth was heading out. Nellie had already decided to spend the night.

"Thank you. And thanks for tonight."

"Our pleasure. Kate's right, some social interaction beyond the work setting is good for us both." They both chuckled. "So, we still on for our pub night?"

"I am if you are. Now I've got an extra five pounds to spend." They chuckled again.

"Well, goodnight Charlie. See you tomorrow."

"Yes, bright and early."

"Though not as early as you'll be up going for your run."

"No, not quite that early. Goodnight."

"Night. Thanks again."

"Beth?"

"Hmm?" She was just stepping into the car when his voice stopped her.

"Listen, I'm so sorry about Reggie. And for being so jealous and for what I said. I feel like a stupid idiot."

She was a little taken aback by the suddenness of his words, but was also touched. "You shouldn't. You didn't know. I wasn't completely honest about the extent of our relationship beyond work. We were only together about two months when he died, dating, not officially a couple, taking things slow. But we were always really close. When we first met, we instantly clicked."

"I'm sorry, that must have been so hard. It would have been hard anyways, but-"

She smiled and nodded, letting him know she understood what he meant and appreciated it. "Thank you, Charlie."

"Of course. If you ever want to talk about it - or anything, really - I'd be happy to listen and talk."

She smiled up at him. "Thank you, Charlie. I appreciate it. I really do." She paused for a moment. "You know, I was worried at first coming here, worried I was throwing myself back into work too soon. But I'm awfully glad I came here."

"So am I." The words were out of Charlie's mouth before he even had a moment to think. "Happy that you're here. I'm happy to be here too."

"It's been over a year now - hard to believe. It still feels so close. And we've already been in Midsomer six months. Time flies."

"When you're having fun."

"Yes. And when you're in good company."

"Yes, that too."

* * *

A few days later, Charlie was scheduled to do another run to Beth's house so they could head to work together. Beth was at home alone, as Nellie had been spending more and more time at Kate's.

When she answered the knock at the door signalling Charlie had arrived, Beth expected to find him sweaty and in his running gear, not in his work clothes, and certainly not holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Good morning," she cried, surprised by the sight before her.

He grinned back. "Morning."

"I thought you were going for your run."

"Not today. I had more important things to do." He extended the flowers out towards her. "I know I'm probably going off on a long shot here, but I've been thinking a lot about it, and-"

He didn't need to say anything else, for she understood completely. And she didn't say anything either - words couldn't express how touched she was.

"So have I, been thinking lots."

"And?"

Instead of saying anything else, she took his arm and pulled him towards her, planting a kiss on his lips, having to rise up on her tip-toes to do so. The bouquet of flowers was squished between them as they embraced.

"Maybe it wasn't such a long shot, then," Charlie said when they both pulled away breathlessly.

"Not at all."

This time she threw her arms around him and he dipped low enough so that he could press his lips to hers in a kiss that was both perfect timing and that had been held back for too long.

When they pulled away, realization hit Beth like a wave. "What are we going to tell Barnaby?"

_I've been trying to come up with the perfect way for Beth and Charlie to finally get together and I think I finally got it! :) They needed the perfect cute moment! Took long enough! ;) _

_Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)_


	10. Keeping Secrets

Keeping Secrets

"Our first official date, then."

Charlie and Beth sat across from each other at a cozy little table in the local tearoom, grinning across the table at each other like giddy children.

"It's been a long time since I've done this," he admitted.

"Me too."

It had been a few days since their initiation - Charlie's bringing flowers and then the snogging on her doorstep. The knowledge that they would eventually have to break the news to their boss that they'd gone and done the one thing he had cautioned against lingered in the back of their minds. But they would think of that later. Right now, they were on their first official date and wanted to focus on that.

They were just leaning across the table for a kiss when both of their mobile phones began to ring.

"Hello, D.S. Nelson."

"Bushby."

"That was Kate."

"That was Uniform."

"There's been a murder."

"There's been a murder."

"Duty calls, then."

"No rest for the wicked."

They ordered their tea and pastries to go instead, taking them along as they drove to the crime scene.

"When are we going to tell Barnaby?" she asked as they left the shop and headed to the car.

"Good question..." He sighed. "This naturally would happen after we both assure him that we're purely professional."

"And we can still keep that promise: keep things professional at work and save - the rest - for later." She didn't miss how Charlie blushed when she said this and couldn't help but smile. She loved it when he blushed. "Though, if I'm being perfectly honest, I kind of like the idea of a secret romance - at least for now."

Charlie grinned. "So do I."

* * *

"Morning Sir," Charlie said when he arrived at the station a couple of mornings later.

"Morning Nelson."

"Morning Beth."

"Good morning, Charlie."

"How are you?"

"Well, thanks, you?"

"Good thanks."

The two shared a long, lingering, and affectionate smile that didn't go unnoticed by the D.C.I.

Later, in the staff kitchen, Charlie, Beth, and Kate were enjoying tea and pastries. Kate was staring at the two with a knowing grin.

"What?" asked Beth.

"Oh, nothing." Kate continued to smile. "I'm happy for you, is all. And your secret's safe with me." She winked before leaving the secret couple alone in the kitchen.

* * *

The two people they couldn't keep it a secret from were, of course, Kate and Nellie.

"Oooo, more coffee!" As soon as she walked through the door, Nellie was at the coffee machine, helping herself to Beth and Charlie's extra coffee.

"Go ahead, help yourself," Beth laughed.

"So, how's keeping your hands off each other all day at work going?"

"Thanks for the reminder. All right, I think. So far so good."

"And your boss suspects nothing?"

"I don't think so, we're being careful. But he is a very good detective."

"Maybe it takes a detective to fool a detective."

"Maybe."

"I think one of these days you're both going to snap and, in the middle of work, you'll have to do something about it."

"Do you now? We're being very professional, I'll have you know."

"For now."

Beth rolled her eyes. "That's enough from you for now. Shut up and drink your coffee."

Nellie took another savoury sip. "Speaking of Charlie - is he out for his run, due to be back any moment?"

"No, he's upstairs, getting dressed."

"Oh?"

"I took your advice and we engaged in - _other_ forms of exercise instead."

This time, it was Nellie's turn to choke on her drink.

Beth grinned. "So, thanks for the hot tip."

Nellie wiped up the coffee she had spit all over the counter with her sleeve. "You're welcome for the hot tip."

* * *

"Bye! Have a good day! Good luck keeping things professional at work!" Nellie waved them off as they left for the day.

"Good thing she doesn't work with us," Beth said. "Kate's one thing, but Nellie is quite another."

"Yes," agreed Charlie. "At least Kate is on our side."

"Agreed. Nellie claims she is, but sometimes I do wonder. She does have a point though..." She sighed. "I feel bad keeping it from him..."

Charlie nodded in understanding. "Yeah, me too."

"I mean, it's not like it's our fault, we can't help how we feel."

"No, that's true, we can't. We'll just have to wait for the right moment to tell him, to bring it up."

Beth agreed. Though both wondered when that so-called 'right moment' would arise, and if it would bee sooner rather than later.

_Just finished watching all the episodes with Gwil again - so good! I miss Charlie already! ;) I started watched Series 19 and I do like the new DS, Jamie. _

_Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :) (I know it's not very long but I wanted to post something!)_


	11. Young Love

Young Love

While Charlie was interviewing a shopkeeper who had supposedly been with the victim's abusive husband on the night of her death, Beth looked around the man's quaint, little shop.

The back door opened, and a man wheeled a stack of sandbags into the shop. "Sandbag delivery!"

The shopkeeper held up a finger, signalling for Charlie to wait a moment. "Sorry, excuse me, I really have to deal with this. Oi, I told you, I don't want any sandbags."

"But Ewan," said the man. "You need them for the flood!"

"Where am I going to put them all?"

"Hey Sarge, you should come look at this," Beth called. Charlie came and joined her by the stack of sandbags. "Look familiar?"

"The cloth from the mask," Charlie said, recognizing it right away as well. The mask they had found the victim wearing. "It was cut from one of these sandbags. Let's get one back to Kate to look at."

"Great minds think alike." Beth bent down to scoop up one of the bags. "Can we borrow one of these?"

"Uh, well we need them for the flood preventions," the man protested.

"This is a murder investigation." Beth tried to pick one up, but strained. "Ugh, they're heavy. Charlie, give me a hand." Both picked up one end of the bag and carried it between them out of the shop. "Thank you!"

"Sorry, excuse us, coming through!" they called once they reached the station, still carrying the bag between them.

"What in the world?" cried Barnaby, stepping out of his office. "Did you carry that all the way from the village?"

"From the shop to the car, then from the car to here." Finally, they reached the lab where they dropped the bag onto the lab desk, making Kate jump.

"Our suspect list just went up," Beth told Barnaby. "These are sandbags being distributed throughout the village by the Flood Volunteers. Any of them could have had access to the bags."

"And therefore cut a mask from them. Get a list of their names. Good teamwork you too."

"Thank you, Sir." Beth and Charlie high-fived.

"Now my arms hurt," she remarked.

"Mine too," he agreed.

"Wimps." Kate went to pick up the bag, but struggled.

"Ha, see."

* * *

"So you spent the whole evening talking about work?" cried Nellie when Beth returned home from a dinner date with Charlie.

"Not the whole evening," Beth corrected.

"It was supposed to be a romantic dinner."

"It was."

"All while you were discussing a murder case. Bloody hell, do you ever escape from work? Yikes, if that's what you discuss over dinner, I'd hate to hear about what you discuss in bed."

"Well..." Beth shrugged again.

Nellie's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. "You're telling me that you discuss work _in bed_?" she cried, clearly aghast.

Beth shrugged. "Yeah."

"Your pillow talk is about murder cases? That's so un-sexy. And honestly morbid."

"I wouldn't put it that way. We don't _always _ discuss work in bed."

Nellie just shook her head. "You're such a weird couple."

Beth chuckled. "Works for us. And we're weirdly wonderful, I think. And I seem to recall you saying, and I quote, we are the 'perfect match'."

"Yeah, just really weird." Nellie scrunched up her nose. "God, I'm sorry I asked."

* * *

Barnaby and Sarah invited Beth and Charlie over for dinner at the end of the week. Kate was visiting family and bringing Nellie so they could meet the girlfriend, so she couldn't join them.

"We'd love to," Beth answered for them both when Barnaby suggested it. "I mean, I would, and I'm assuming Charlie would too..." She looked to her boyfriend who smiled.

"She's right, I would."

Now they were going to spend the entire evening out at a friend's house pretending not to be a couple - this would surely be interesting.

* * *

In the end, they managed to fool the D.C.I. The D.C.I.'s wife, however, was a whole other story.

To play along with their charade, they arrived separately at the Barnaby's house.

"Here, I poured you a glass of wine," Charlie said when Beth arrived, handing her a glass. They had to catch themselves and not lean in for a kiss in greeting.

"Well that's sweet of you, thank you. Cheers."

The dinner went smoothly, Beth and Charlie not thinking they sent too many smiles across the table towards each other to be noticed. It did not go unnoticed, however.

Sarah brought in dessert. "Why don't we go sit in the living room," she suggested.

The others agreed and they moved to the other room. Barnaby sat in one of the large chairs, Sarah sat on the floor with Betty, while Beth and Charlie positioned themselves on the couch. Close but not close enough to cause any suspicion.

Or so they thought.

"You two are adorable!" Sarah suddenly cried mid-conversation. "How long has this been going on for?" She grinned.

"What sorry?"

"How long have you been going out?"

Barnaby choked on his wine.

"Uhhh..." The two detectives exchanged a glance, all eyes now on them. "We..."

"John why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"That Beth and Charlie started seeing each other."

"Because I had no idea until just now!"

Sarah's face fell. "But, I don't understand. Surely things have been different at work?"

The D.C.I. turned to his detectives who had barely said a word. "Well, in your own time, then."

"Well, yes, we are seeing each other," Charlie finally said.

"We're not only work partners anymore," added Beth.

"But why didn't you say anything?" asked Sarah.

The couple exchanged another glance. "Well, after what you said, Sir, that it would be best if we kept things professional at work, and at the time that's all it was-"

"What?" cried Sarah, now turning to face her husband. "John?"

Betty chose that moment to give a rather loud babble.

"Yes, Betty, you're right. That wasn't very fair of Daddy now was it?" agreed Sarah.

"Well I - I just didn't want anything uncomfortable in the workplace."

"Oh, for goodness sake." Sarah rolled her eyes. "And so you deny these two young people their love."

"Well, I hardly knew that-"

"Neither did we sir. This is a fairly recent development. We held off as long as we could."

"Oh, you shouldn't have to 'hold off'," cried Sarah. "John, look at what you've done."

Sykes gave a few barks, as though in protest.

"Yes, you tell him Sykes," encouraged Sarah.

"How serious are you about it?"

"John!"

"Very serious, Sir." The two joined hands. "And we promise things will be entirely professional at work, as usual."

"Very well - don't make me regret this."

"Thank you, Sir." Now Beth and Charlie snuggled up on the couch.

Sarah smirked. "I knew you two were good, but you must be great detectives in order to fool D.C.I. John Barnaby."

* * *

They kept their promise, of course. Barnaby still kept an eye on them, though.

"Young Love," remarked Barnaby as they watched two teenagers embrace, reuniting once the case had been solved.

"Teenage hormones," responded Charlie. "You'll have all that to look forward to, Sir."

"Well, at least I've grown out of them myself." Barnaby nodded to him and Beth.

"Does this mean you're okay with it? With us?"

"For now, yes."

"Thank you, Sir."

It looked like they had come to an understanding.

* * *

"Will you be joining us for dinner, Charlie?" asked Sarah as the group gathered in the Barnaby's garden.

"Previous engagement, but thanks. And it's not the pub quiz."

Kate gave a grin. "Charlie has a date."

_Beep beep!  
_

A car's horn honking alerted them to the front of the house.

"And she's got a car." Charlie grinned before waltzing through the house to greet his date.

Sarah and Kate Followed him to the front where Beth awaited him, leaning up against her car.

"Aw, look at them," gushed Sarah, watching the two kiss each other's cheeks in greeting. "So sweet."

"They look like they're dressed for different seasons," remarked Kate, noting Beth's sundress and Charlie's jeans and jumper.

Both got into the car and Beth gave a little wave to Sarah and Kate who ducked out of view. Charlie just rolled his eyes.

"This calls for another drink," said Kate.

"I couldn't agree more."

_Ah, young love... Can you tell that I'm a hopeless romantic? ;)_

_Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)_


	12. Murder by Music

Murder by Music

This year's annual Lower Crosby folk music festival got off to a rocky start when the organizer of the festival, Toby Whinning, was found dead in his home the morning of the festival's opening day, a death that looked like murder.

The trio were currently at the scene of the crime, the victim's house, where Kate and her team were collecting evidence.

"Oh, my God!" Beth jumped a foot in the air before scurrying over to the other side of the kitchen. "It's moving."

Peering into the large mixing bowl on the table, Barnaby and Charlie found it full of eggs - and eels, swimming in water.

Beth shuddered. "Snakes and eels, anything that slithers. No thank you."

"I wonder why eggs and eels of all things," mused Charlie. "That seems very random and yet very specific at the same time."

"'Fresh eggs and live eels for the young John Henry,'" said Kate, sounding as though she were quoting something. "Its a line from an old folk song, _The Ballad of Midsomer County_."

"Ah, a classic round here," said Beth, still on the other side of the room. "It gets played at least once every year."

"How do you know that?" asked Barnaby.

"I did it one year, as did about three others. Awkward, to say the least."

"You performed in the festival?"

"Yeah, my mates and I would always come down from London, thought it was a fun summer thing to do."

"So you're a musician too? A woman of many talents," grinned Charlie.

Perhaps his words weren't meant to be quite as suggestive as they sounded, but Kate still gave a snort of laughter. Barnaby raised his eyebrows. Charlie flushed.

"Thanks Charlie, but 'musician' is being very generous. I just play a little guitar and sing, that's all."

"Well that's more than I can do. You performing this year?"

"Was going to see if they had any open slots, yeah. That was before this, though."

"You should. I'll definitely be there."

"Could you two perhaps make your date arrangements at another time?" suggested Barnaby. His two detectives stood there like guilty children under his scrutinizing gaze. "So, about this song?"

"It's about a young hunter, John Henry, who meets a fair maiden with flowers in her hair," explained Kate.

"The Midsomer maiden," added Beth.

"Doesn't sound too bad," said Charlie. "Sounds nice. Is it a love song?"

"The maiden then lures him into her cottage in the woods where she slits his throat with a hunting knife," finished Beth.

Charlie's eyes grew wide.

"Here, I'll play it for you-" Kate reached for her phone, then paused. "Or Beth could sing it for you."

"Yes, please," said Charlie.

"Fine, but only because it's part of the case, apparently." Beth cleared her throat. "'Come sit by me, you fine lords and laddies. And I'll you the tale, of young John Henry. He met a fair maiden, one bright May morning, as he went a-hunting in Midsomer County..."

"And it seems someone is going a-hunting once again in Midsomer County," remarked Barnaby.

* * *

"John's forgotten our song!" Sarah declared as soon as she opened the door to let Charlie and Beth into the house. "He remembers the favourite song of his old girlfriend, but, when it comes to me, his wife and the mother of his child, he draws a blank." A guilty-looking Barnaby stood behind her. "Do you two have a song?"

"Uh, no we don't."

"You should. Just don't forget it."

"Um, would this be a good time to tell you we found some prints on the eel and egg bowl?" asked Charlie.

Barnaby seemed glad for the interruption. "Who's?"

"The victim's wife."

"Who claimed she hadn't seen him that day. Let's go and see what she has to say."

* * *

"'...Fair was the skin, of the Midsomer maiden. Blue were her eyes, as blue as the sea. And on her fair head, lay a garland of flowers. Sweet were the roses of Midsomer County...' Oh-" Beth cut herself off when she realized she wasn't alone.

Charlie stood in the doorway, smiling as he listened to her practicing. "Very nice," he commented.

"Thank you. Not sure about this song now though, all things considered."

"Did you manage to book that slot at the festival?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah, Wednesday night."

"I'll be there. Can't wait."

"Don't get too excited."

"Oh but I am."

She set down her guitar. "The most famous version of this song was done by Johnny Carver. He committed suicide twenty-five years ago."

"Do you think this murder could be linked to that?"

"Possibly. Johnny was from Lower Crosby, and like I said he did a famous version of this song that seems to keep popping up in this case. It's very possible, in fact."

* * *

"Something's not adding up," said Beth while looking over some newspaper articles on Johnny Carver's anti-war involvement.

"Yeah," agreed Charlie. "Johhny was anti-war, and yet he had a gun?"

"Forensics, can I let them go?" Kate asked them.

"No," said Charlie. "We need to head over to Johnny Carver's cottage, now."

The two detectives led Kate and her team to the cottage where they got the team right down to work.

"According to Danny Carver's statement, his brother had been dead three days before Danny found the body," Beth informed.

"I still don't get why we're here," sighed Kate.

"Johnny had principles," Charlie explained, also searching around the cluttered cottage. "He was anti-war, anti-nuclear, pro-peace. Him buying a gun doesn't make any sense."

"Well he was about to kill himself, I think we can assume he wasn't in his right mind," said Kate.

"He was a drug user. It's more likely he would have taken an overdose than shoot himself," Charlie argued.

She scoffed. "Now you're just speculating.

"The path report said there was a distinct lack of powder burns on the head wound. You said yourself that that was strange."

"Strange but not impossible. So?"

"So, what if the gun was fired from further away," Beth cut into their argument.

Kate scoffed again. "You're telling me that you pulled a forensic team from a live crime scene to the sight of a twenty-five year old suicide that you're now speculating might not be a suicide?"

"Yes."

"In the hope that they might find a minute trace of gunshot residue in a room that is positively teeming with forensic material."

"And if they find it more than two metres from that chair," Charlie added.

"You've got no chance," Kate stated with certainty.

"Uh, excuse me, Dr. Wilding," called one of the team members, gesturing to the wall. Kate's jaw fell open. Charlie and Beth only grinned.

"I hate you both!" Kate cried. The two just high-fived.

"Jonny carver didn't kill himself," Beth announced. "He was murdered."

_This is one of my favourite episodes of the series! :) So many twists and turns!_

_Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed, as always! :)_


	13. All too Familiar

All too Familiar

"Sir, we need to speak with you, urgently." Back at the station, Charlie appeared, all wild hair and wide eyes.

Barnaby left the suspect he was currently interviewing - Danny Carver, Johnny's brother - and followed Charlie to their office where Beth was standing.

"Johnny didn't commit suicide, the gunshot was fired from at least two metres away," Charlie launched into explaining. "There was no way Johnny pulled that trigger."

Barnaby's eyes grew wide. "Someone else was there..."

"Yes. They killed him and then staged it as a suicide."

"Hang on - _that's_ what's on the tape!"

"Johnny was in the middle of recording," agreed Beth. "So he must have recorded his own murder."

"Which means our killer is either the same one who killed Johnny trying to get the tape to cover for themselves, or are covering for someone else. Danny Carver said Johnny had multiple affairs with many women in the village."

"Could this be another play on words with the song lyrics?" mused Beth. "Instead of the Midsomer Maiden hunting Young John Henry, could the killer be pointing to Johnny's affairs? Him 'hunting' the women."

"Could be. Someone is clearly very angry about Johnny's actions. We need to go back to the cottage. Send for backup."

* * *

Who would have thought that investigating the murder of a singer during a folk festival would lead them to this: an armed confrontation with the murderer.

Barnaby had gone to confront the killer inside the cottage - Johnny's murderer as well as the three others in this case - while Beth and Charlie approached from the outside. They were currently crouched by an old window which Charlie was attempting to pry open.

His next try caused the old wood to creak, alerting the others of their presence - including the killer.

_BANG!_

_SMASH!_

The gunshot shattered the window. Beth and Charlie hit the ground. Glass sprayed everywhere.

"Nelson? Bushby?" called Barnaby once he had grabbed the gun from the killer.

"Sir!" Beth responded, letting him know she was all right.

"Nelson?"

Silence; nothing from Charlie.

"Charlie? CHARLIE!"

Following Beth's cry, Barnaby heard a groan - Nelson's voice.

"Charlie! Sir, we need an ambulance here now!"

* * *

"We came as quickly as we could!" Nellie and Kate burst into the hospital waiting room where Beth sat. Barnaby was currently in the lobby ringing Sarah to let her know what had happened.

_Charlie was hit._

_He had been shot._

"Are you okay?" Nellie cried.

"Yeah, unhurt at least," Beth answered distantly, rubbing her arms as though she were cold. The hospital did seem freezing.

"And Charlie?"

"He was hit. In the shoulder - oh God, I thought he was-" she didn't finish, instead bursting into tears. Nellie enveloped her in a hug. "Just like with Reggie - it happened so fast. I panicked."

"Of course you did."

"I shouldn't have-"

"You had every right to."

"It was like bloody deja vu."

"Chief Inspector Barnaby?" a nurse had appeared. Barnaby stepped forward, holding Sarah's hand. "Would you like to see Mr. Nelson? He's well enough for visitors."

"Go ahead, Beth." Barnaby nodded.

"Thank you, Sir."

"We'll give you a minute," said Kate.

"Thanks." With that, she stepped into the hospital room.

* * *

"I've got her bottle in the fridge, she likes this book before bedtime, and if you need anything just give us a call."

"Sarah, we'll be fine," Charlie assured her. He and Beth were on babysitting duty for Betty while her parents went out for the evening for the final night of the festival.

"Charlie seems to be doing well," Sarah remarked to Beth as she adjusted her earrings in the hall mirror. Indeed, Charlie was chipper as ever, the only difference being his arm in a sling.

"Yes, he's a real trooper," Beth agreed. "God, what a week-" The next thing she knew she was staring at her own tear-stained reflection in the mirror, as well as Sarah's shocked face.

"Oh, Darling." Sarah wrapped an arm around the redhead.

"Sarah, almost ready to go?" Barnaby came up the stairs, Charlie and Betty in tow.

"Just give us one minute, boys," Sarah said, pulling Beth into the bedroom, though not before either of the men saw Beth's state.

"Sorry, this is so embarrassing," Beth apologized as Sarah handed her a tissue. "I don't want you to be late-"

"Nonsense, don't apologize." Sarah sat beside her, rubbing her back comfortingly. "You've had a real shock this week, you have every right to be upset. You have a very difficult job."

"I thought I was going to lose him. I love him, Sarah," Beth admitted.

Sarah smiled. "But you didn't, and now you can tell him that."

"Yeah. Thanks, Sarah."

"Anytime, Love."

Once Beth had recovered, the ladies headed downstairs.

"Everything alright?" asked Barnaby.

"Yes, everything's wonderful, lovely," answered Sarah.

"Good."

Then she noticed the music playing in the background. Barnaby smiled. "And you said I'd forgotten our song. I told you I'd find it."

"So you did. I'm glad you remembered." She gave him a kiss.

Still smiling, Barnaby went to retrieve their shoes.

"That's not your song, is it?" said Charlie.

Sarah shook her head. "Not even close. Have a good night, you three."

"Will do. You as well."

"You alright?" Charlie asked Beth once the Barnabys had left.

"Yeah. Just thinking about how lucky we are." They kissed. Betty babbled. "Sorry, Betty. No more kissing. Instead, how about some music?" Beth went to go retrieve her guitar from the front hall.

"It's too bad about your slot at the festival," said Charlie. "I'm sorry it didn't work out."

"Thanks, but don't be. After the week we've had I really wasn't up to it. But, we can have our own little concert right here. And Barnaby was telling me about his want to expand Betty's musical horizons to more than just _The Wheels on the Bus_."

"What would be our song, I wonder?"

"Hmm. Something by Queen, I just have this feeling... On that note, here, Betty, take a listen to this, see how you like it." Beth sat down on the couch, Charlie sitting across from her, Betty in his lap, which might have just been the most adorable thing ever.

Beth strummed and few times before joining in singing. "'In the year of '39 assembled here the volunteers...'"

_Haha, couldn't help adding in more BoRhap and Queen references... ;)_

_So a slightly more dramatic take on the ending to this episode... What did you think?_

_Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)_


	14. Love is its Own Kind of Magic

Love is its Own Kind of Magic

"Charlie, you're early," said Beth when he arrived at the house, surprised to see him standing there on the doorstep.

"Then I'm exactly on time." He winked.

"Hiya Charlie, back to work again already?" called Nellie from in the kitchen. He had arrived so he and Beth could carpool to work, as had become the usual, especially since their relationship was out in the open now at the station.

"Morning Nellie. And yes, ready and eager."

"Hmm, well your girlfriend isn't overly thrilled about that, I can tell."

Beth nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Are you sure it wouldn't be best for you to take just a few more days off?"

"Love, I'm fine, really." Charlie assured her. "See, the old arm is just fine." He twisted it for emphasis. "I got the cast off ages ago."

Beth still appeared skeptical. Understandably, Charlie's injury at the hands of the murderer in their last case had left her rather paranoid. "Just promise me you'll be careful."

"Of course, always."

But alas, as they knew full well, this job was highly unpredictable. He could promise all he wanted, but there was no being absolutely sure.

* * *

"Nelson, back early," remarked Barnaby.

"Glad to be back, Sir."

Barnaby looked at Beth who sighed and said, "Don't look at me. There's no stopping a determined Charlie Nelson."

"Apparently not. What have we got here?"

"Hannah Altman, landlady of the village pub. She was playing the piano in a magic performance when a pice of the set broke and, well, crushed her. Kate's already doing her analysis of the scene."

"Magic? This job never ceases to amaze me."

The trio entered the church where Kate and her team indeed already were, working away.

"This looks like a terrible accident, but it wasn't. This was done with explosives. Gideon Latimer was using the box."

"Who?"

"Gideon Latimer, he's a famous illusionist," Charlie explained, appearing surprised that Barnaby didn't know who he was talking about. "This is one of his signature stunts. It's never gone wrong before - well, at least not this wrong."

"So the trick itself didn't go wrong, it was sabotaged. And how is this trick supposed to work?"

"He's crouched down at the bottom, there's a trick of light, and the glass goes black. The trapdoor opens, he pops up, and suddenly there he is in the box. Magic."

"The modern equivalent of smoke and mirrors."

"I'm heading back to the lab," called the pathologist.

"Thanks Kate. I was just getting a lesson on how Gideon's stunt works."

"We had to threaten to arrest them before they would tell us anything," said Beth.

"Ah, well they probably thought your boyfriend had an ulterior motive," said Kate. "Charlie used to own one of those magic sets when he was a kid."

"No, did you really?" cried Beth. "That's brilliant."

"I think he cherished high hopes of turning professional one day."

"The magic circle's loss is C.I.D.'s gain," said Barnaby.

"Well isn't that something." Beth grinned. "A man of many talents."

"I was pretty good actually," said Charlie, smiling at the memory.

Barnaby simply nodded. "We'll take your word for it."

* * *

"We still have to figure out whether Hannah was the intended victim, or whether it was Gideon."

"He certainly seems to have stirred up some ill feelings since coming to the village."

"Poor Hannah. If Gideon was the intended victim, then she was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Beth and Charlie lay in bed, naturally discussing their current case.

"Speaking of magic, how goes the tricks?"

"Good... Just need to find one that you and Kate won't see right through."

She chuckled. "Well good luck finding one in that book of tricks of yours."

"There are actually some good ones in here-" Charlie grabbed said book off the bedside table. "Levitation, card tricks, vanishing objects - they've got it all, really, right here."

There came a knock at the door then.

"Don't come in!" called Beth.

"You two had better not be doing what I think you're doing!" responded Nellie from out in the hall.

"Um, does it sound like it?" Beth called back.

"Not that! I mean discussing work in bed! Stop being weird!"

"Go away!"

"Oi! I just came to tell you that I'm off to work."

"Okay, see you later."

Retreating footsteps told them that the sister had left.

"Speaking of magic..." Beth grinned. "What do you say we make some of our own magic right now?"

Charlie grinned back, raising his eyebrows. "Oh?"

"Yes. Let's see what other tricks you have up your sleeve, shall we?"

* * *

It was the holiday season again. This Christmas marked their second one in Midsomer and the anniversary of their arrival in the county.

This Christmas Charlie had a special surprise planned for Beth - and surprise indeed!

Of course, Barnaby and Sarah invited everyone over - Beth and Charlie and Kate and Nellie - to celebrate the season, and Betty's first Christmas.

"How are the magic tricks, Charlie?" Kate asked when the couple arrived and everyone moved to the living room with a glass of wine.

Charlie grinned. "I'm glad you asked. They're going really well. I managed to make a ring appear on Beth's finger."

Beth beamed. "He did." She held up her hand to reveal a ring.

Everyone's jaw dropped.

"Is that what I think it is?!" cried Nellie.

"Yes, it is," Beth confirmed, still smiling.

"Did Charlie stumble his way through a proposal?" joked Kate.

"I didn't stutter once," Charlie informed.

"Oh that's wonderful! Congratulations you two!" cried Sarah.

"Yes, congratulations. We certainly have a lot to celebrate tonight," said Barnaby.

The newly-engaged couple exchanged a smile, joining hands. "Yes, we do."

_I know I'm mixing up the order of the episodes a bit, but I just figured out how I could include this magic show one ;) _

_Somehow I can be flirty and romantic in my writing, when in real life I'm just painfully awkward! ;) I'm a total hopeless romantic but I haven't had any luck with love yet myself - maybe that's why I love writing about it so much! :) I love writing about love, haha!_

_Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed as always! :)_


	15. Changes

Changes

Charlie sighed as he popped the trunk, seeing all their belongings stuffed into the back of the car. It was going to take many trips to haul it all inside, even with two of them. Better get started.

Charlie was so tall he had to duck through the doorway of the B&B. A pink decorative pillow sat atop the bed in their room. Charlie took one look at it before tossing it into a corner.

"Oi!" cried Beth. "I like that!"

"Doesn't go with the rest room at all."

"It adds character. Wherever we end up living, you are not going to be our interior decorator, I'll make sure of that."

"Morning Charlie, morning Beth," Sarah greeted when the two detectives showed up at the Barnaby's house.

"Morning Sarah."

"You're here early, aren't you?"

"Well, we had to drop Kate's keys off at the estate agent's, and then get the rest of our stuff into storage," Charlie said, looking gloomy.

"On the bright side, we finally have a place for the two of us," said Beth.

"Lovely! Back at the B&B?"

"Yeah," sighed Charlie. "Our loss is Brighton University's gain."

"And how is our new Professor Wilding getting on?"

"Good, she's loving the job."

"Here, I've got a picture." Beth pulled out her phone and showed Sarah a selfie of a very smiley Kate and Nellie.

"Oh, lovely."

"Looks like they're having quite the ball," added Charlie.

Sarah patted his arm. "I'm sure she misses you too, Charlie. They'll be back for the wedding, right?"

"Oh yes. Kate and Nellie take full credit for bringing Charlie and I together, so come hell or high water, they'll be there."

"So will we." Sarah grinned. "Have you starting looking into the details yet?"

"A little. Charlie's got very plain taste if his reorganization of our B&B room is anything to go by," said Beth.

Charlie rolled his eyes. "A bright pink pillow doesn't go with the red and white theme."

"It doesn't," agreed Barnaby.

The ladies rolled their eyes towards each other. "What we must deal with."

"Well, I'm happy to help you."

"Thanks, Sarah."

"Speaking of Kate, how's her replacement settling in?"

"Kam? Oh, good, I think," said Charlie. "She's very - _efficient_..."

Barnaby and Beth chuckled. "Dr. Karimore keeps Nelson on his toes," said Barnaby.

"I think Charlie feels a little threatened," added Beth.

"I don't think she likes me very much."

"Oh, that's not true!" Beth assured her fiancé .

"Bushby's right, you just need the right case to break the ice."

"Well, that's why we're here. There's been an incident over in Little Malton."

"An incident?"

"A dead body has mysteriously vanished."

"Well, that's new..."

* * *

"Dr. Karimore?" Barnaby called when the trio of detectives entered the bedroom from where the body had vanished.

"Two seconds!" called a female voice over top of the sound of drilling. A few seconds later a young woman crawled out from beneath the bed, drill in hand. "Morning all."

"Good morning. You know, there are teams of assistants happy to do that," Barnaby informed her, nodding to the drill.

Kam shrugged. "No trouble, I don't mind getting my hands dirty. Morning Beth, morning Charlie."

"Morning Kam," Beth returned.

Charlie launched right into work. "Too bad, bet there's not too much you can tell us from an empty room, huh Kam?"

Beth elbowed him. _Be nice! _her gaze said.

"Quite the opposite, actually." The pathologist launched into a detailed explanation about how she believed the body was dragged out the window with a heavy-duty rope. Charlie just blinked back. Beth and Barnaby exchanged an amused glance.

* * *

"Oh for goodness sake, Charlie. How long is this rivalry going to go on for? It's very tiring." Beth watched while Charlie sat at the small table in their B&B room, scribbling down ideas. Barnaby was giving a career talk at the school Sarah taught at, and had asked his two detectives and pathologist to come up with some suggestions on what they love about the job. Charlie, seeing this as another challenge with Kam, was determined to win.

"He asked us first," said Charlie, still scribbling away. "Just need to think of nine more points..."

"Wouldn't it be better if the three of us put our heads together and came up with the list together?"

"Well Kam's probably already got about fifty ideas."

Beth eyed him. "Are you jealous?"

Charlie sighed. "She just seems so perfect! And she's always right!"

"Aww. Well there's people around here who think you're pretty perfect too," she assured him.

"With her around, Barnaby isn't going to need us."

"Hope not, cause then we're both out of a job. Which wouldn't do well for our house-hunting endeavours. What have you got on the list so far?"

* * *

"Oh, Sir, did you have a chance to look over our suggestions for your talk yet?" Kam asked.

"Yeah, what did you choose to talk about?" added Charlie.

"Yes, I did. Thank you all for your suggestions. I particularly liked Bushby's thought about getting to drive as fast as we like."

"Yes!" Beth cheered. "Figured you appreciate that one, Sir."

_Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)_


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